The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force said on Thursday that if the “Zionist entity” does not leave Lebanon voluntarily, it will be forced to retreat “defeated.” His comments came amid conflicting reports about Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon and the border buffer zone.
Earlier in the day, a U.S. State Department source told Reuters that Israel had withdrawn from part of its buffer area in southern Lebanon. The source said the Lebanese Armed Forces should now enter the area vacated by Israel and described the move as a “goodwill gesture” toward the Lebanese government.
An Israeli security official denied the report and said there had been no withdrawal. Reuters noted the contradiction between the American claim and the Israeli denial, while Hezbollah issued its own threat.
Separately, Saudi outlet Al Arabiya reported that Lebanese and Israeli sides had reached a preliminary agreement on “pilot areas.” According to those sources, talks are expected to continue on Thursday and a “statement of intent” may be issued after the two sides advance a more developed framework of understandings. The source added that Israeli forces are still deployed in all areas they recently took control of.
The day before, Defense Minister Israel Katz said at the MuniExpo conference that “Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, even if the United States demands it.” His remarks came as Washington is trying to broker a pilot arrangement in which the Lebanese army would take security responsibility for some areas in southern Lebanon while Israel would keep a presence in the buffer zone.
